he got in trouble wid a white 'oman. You needn't ax me her name 'cause I
ain't gwine to tell it, but I knows it well as I does my own name.
Anyhow Marse Alec give Uncle Dave some money and told him to leave, and
nobody never seed him no more atter dat.

"Oh yessum! Us heared 'bout 'em, but none of us never seed no
patterollers on Marse Alec's plantation. He never 'lowed 'em on his
land, and he let 'em know dat he kept his slaves supplied wid passes
whenever dey wanted to go places so as dey could come and go when dey
got good and ready. Thursday and Sadday nights was de main nights dey
went off. Uncle Stafford's wife was Miss Mary Stephen's cook, Uncle
Jim's wife lived on de Finley place, and Uncle Isom's belonged to de
Hollises, so dey had regular passes all de time and no patterollers
never bothered 'em none.

"Whenever Marse Alec or Marse Lordnorth wanted to send a message dey
jus' put George or Mack on a horse and sont 'em on but one thing sho,
dere warn't no slave knowed what was in dem letters.

"Marse Alec sho had plenty of mules. Some of 'em was named: Pete, Clay,
Rollin, Jack, and Sal. Sal was Allen's slow mule, and he set a heap of
store by her. Dere was a heap more mules on dat place, but I can't call
back dere names right now.

"Most times when slaves went to deir quarters at night, mens rested, but
sometimes dey holped de 'omans cyard de cotton and wool. Young folkses
frolicked, sung songs, and visited from cabin to cabin. When dey got
behind wid de field wuk, sometimes slaves wuked atter dinner Saddays,
but dat warn't often. But, Oh, dem Sadday nights! Dat was when slaves
got together and danced. George, he blowed de quills, and he sho could